Lyell B. Clay

Lyell B. Clay, 83, of Charleston, West Virginia, died Thursday, November 15, 2007, after a long illness.

Mr. Clay was a retired publisher and business executive. He was a life-long resident of Charleston and a member of the First Presbyterian Church.

A graduate of Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, in 1942 and Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1944, Lyell served in the United States Marine Corps before attending the University of Virginia Law School, graduating in 1948. He joined the firm of Spilman, Thomas & Battle in Charleston, West Virginia, the firm in which his father had been a partner at the time of his death in 1923. Lyell received a M.A. Degree from Marshall University in 1956 and a MBA from West Virginia University in 1975. In 1967, he completed the 51st Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.

In 1951, Lyell was appointed City Solicitor (City Attorney) for the city of Charleston, West Virginia, by Mayor John Copenhaver (at age 27) and served in that capacity until 1956 when he joined the Charleston Daily Mail. The "Mail" formed a joint operation with the morning newspaper, The Charleston Gazette, and after the newspaper became profitable, Clay Communications Inc. was formed.

Clay Communications eventually expanded to four television stations in three states and four newspapers in West Virginia and North Carolina. Lyell also acquired two radio stations in Charlottesville, Virginia, as a personal investment.

In 1987, when Clay Communications Inc. was sold, Lyell and his brother, Buckner Clay, established the Clay Foundation Inc. The mission of the Clay Foundation is to improve the quality of life in the Greater Kanawha Valley and the Foundation has supported many local projects since its formation in 1987, such as the renovation of the YWCA, improvements at the YMCA, support for various educational and artistic endeavors in the community and present involvement in the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences - West Virginia Inc., a state-of-the-art museum and arts center in Charleston, West Virginia.

Lyell's lifelong interest in music ranged from jazz to opera and has resulted in the composition of approximately 30 copyrighted songs and eight CDs. Lyell also was active in the past in barbershop music as a member of the Cavaliers Quartet at the University of Virginia while in law school and played banjo and bass with the Lawrenceville Dance Band.

Lyell's experience with the Yamaha Disklavier Piano led to the personal gift of Disklavier pianos to Lawrenceville School, Williams College, the University of Virginia, the University of Charleston, and Marshall University. Through another foundation which Lyell personally established, the Lyell B. & Patricia K. Clay Foundation Inc., Disklavier pianos were given to eight other colleges and universities in West Virginia. This enables the various music departments at the schools to have the latest technology available to train their students.

Photography and travel have also been interests of Lyell's through the years and he combined these hobbies on many trips all over the world sponsored by the Daily Mail and also by the ANPA (American Newspaper Publishers Association), an organization he served for many years as a member of the board.

Mr. Clay is survived by his children: Whitney Clay Diller of Nashville, Tennessee; Ashton deLashmet Clay of Chicago, Illinois; Leslie Clay of Charleston, West Virginia; and Courtney Clay Peraza of Solana Beach, California. His grandchildren are Nathan Clay Diller, Madeline Grace Diller, Kai Ming Agsten, and Ella Proffitt Agsten. He also has one stepgrandson, Benjamin Agsten, and three sons-in-law, Brian Diller, Carl Agsten Jr. and Jesus Peraza.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Lyell B. & Patricia K. Clay Foundation Inc., 1426 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, WV 25301.

The funeral will be held 11 a.m. Monday, November 19, 2007, at The First Presbyterian Church, Leon Sullivan Way, Charleston, West Virginia. A reception will be held at the Clay Center following the service.

Barlow Bonsall Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.